HWFan

We are not exactly sure what the 2016 additions are, how do people know what is happening in 2017? I know this has nothing too do with the additions but when I went this year to the park I thought it was beautiful, clean, and everything seemed to look very nice where it was. Just my input on how the park looks. After a crazy 12 hour day, your post just made my night. Being in the park sans Guests really gives you a good chance to look at the park overall, and I think it looks really great. Perfect? No. But it definitely looks kept up and well taken care of. To address Prozach's post, I won't be saying anything else regarding 2016, but I have been trying not to cause any kind of big hype. I know that no matter what the park could announce, there will be those disappointed. Now sine we're all pretty focused on this super loop, I don't think it would be a bad addition by any means. If Rush Street Flyer had to be replaced, I can't think of a better replacement than a super loop. It's a small footprint and a prominent location. But we'll all see soon I guess.

Somebody call 911, because you just burned Six Flags pretty good there. I thought Six Flags cancelled Super Loops and are going with Zamperla Air Racers Just wanted to chime in and say that whether they did or didn't "cancel" the Super Loops in favor of the taller air races, everything that I have seen involving that bit of information was posted on Screamscape. While Lance usually does a great job in terms of reliability, things can change or are much more complex than what is posted sometimes. Also, there are types of rides that were/are purchased in bundles (to be implemented in multiple years) before the first one even opens.

All of them (well, most of them) were good guesses but no. It's a fire hazard because if I say what it is, I'll get fired! (Feel free to set up a "I Hate HWFan" Facebook page after that one, because I definitely deserve it.)

^ I'm glad you appreciated my long-winded tease. One clue that I will give you about the new investment is that you could say it's a fire hazard... Anyone know why? EDIT: I also forgot to mention that the train should be fully made up of refurbished cars this weekend. One thing that really stands out is the two toned roof. Seriously, it looks really sharp. In less glamorous news, you can all ooooh and ahhhhh over the freshly sealed asphalt in DC Comics plaza this weekend.

Well just above your post I was describing my experience on Saturday live from the park. It was packed, but totally manageable. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes for anything. We got there before opening and were at the rope drop in 4th of July. We were down the hill well before the Halloween rope drop and were on the third train of the day of Thunderbird. We went back down to Voyage and got a ride, then hit the waterpark for 11am opening. Did Mammoth 2x, Wildebeest 2x, Zoombabwe, Zinga, and Hyene Falls. Went back into the park and by the time the crowds made it to the waterpark, T-bird, Legend. and Raven were all 15 minutes or less (Raven was a walk-on). Didn't ride Voyage in the afternoon. A storm shut down everything from about 6-8, but we used this time to ride Turkey Trot and get dinner at the Thanksgiving restaurant. We got on Voyage right when the rain stopped, then Legend and Raven were just about 10 minute waits. Thunderbird did have a huge line at night, however. Wow, what a day! You're lucky, I was there on a bad and crowded day I believe. I knew that Halloween opened after all the other areas, what is that about? Disclaimer: This is complete speculation on the alleged later rope drop by the Halloween section. If this is/was happening on purpose, as some have claimed, it could really make sense from a crowd control perspective. In my past experience, a ton of people would go Raven, Legend, Voyage. Because of this, there could be hour long waits for the Halloween rides while everything in Thanksgiving was a walk on, for the first couple hours of the day. Then by noon, everything in Halloween would be a walk on. This is rooted in the "start at the back of the park and work your way forward" tip, as most people do the opposite. If the rope in Halloween was still up, even for a very short amount of time, it could encourage lots of people to go to the other areas of the park that have a higher capacity, which would take some strain off of Holiday World. To give a related example from one of the SFSL season pass bring-a-friend free days: After things were crazy on Saturday at the front gate, Sunday needed to go smoother. By switching up some schedules at the last minute, the operations team set up staffing for Batman, Ninja, and the Joker an hour before the park opened. The front gate, ticket booths, and toll plaza were also set up to be staffed 30-60 minutes before their usual staffing time (setting them to open 90 minutes before the park). As soon as the first Guest arrived, they were able to enter almost immediately where they then had a 30 minute wait inside the park before Batman opened. Then, with a lot of Guests in the Batman Plaza area, most of them went up to the northeast side of the park at rope drop while the Guests who were just entering went to the west side of the park where the new Justice League ride and Mr. Freeze are. In the end, crowds were dispersed in a much more even fashion, and the average wait times were shorter than they would have been normally, allowing people to have a better visit. Again, I want to stress that I have seen no proof that Halloween has been opening later purposely, and even if it has/had been, what I wrote is complete speculation from someone who hasn't even had a chance to visit this year. Either way, I love Holiday World and am happy to hear that Thunderbird has been really successful for the park this summer.

1. Now I'm starting to feel bad about the chip on my windshield floating in the middle of that pic. 2. WoodieWarrior: I made a pun awhile ago using the word harboring, but I'm too lazy to go back and find it. 3. The I-44 marquee used to say something along the lines of "BIG NEWS COMING SOON". As much as that would have been nice to keep until September 3rd, I like the new "HONK IF YOU LOVE COASTERS".

Especially for those who aren't in the area, here's a good panoramic shot of the DC Comics Plaza. Being at the park so much, I see a lot more little things that are improved from week to week. When added together, it creates a very optimistic big picture for the park. Recent landscaping in this backstage area (which hadn't really been done for a few years) looks great. There is some extra JLBM track in the employee lot. I think it's interesting in that the electric/computer part of the track is added separately. Anyone feel like camping this October? Bored and playing with my phone, I tried to get a shot showing how close the Log Flume & Thunder River are at this spot.

Pkgdl5: sorry, that post you quoted was 75% sarcasm. I have to be careful because sometimes my sarcastic sense of humor doesn't always translate properly. Now in terms of planning, each park has things that they want to do or add in the long term. However, each park creates a formal five year plan every year. Then they discuss that plan with corporate to finalize each year's actual investments. Regarding JLBM: The ride is becoming much, much more reliable. Saturday was overall a fantastic day for the ride, in terms of downtime. Having a full week off really helped, and this trend should continue (including enhancements like having eight ride vehicles at a time hopefully soon). Hopefully Marvin the Martian will also be back in action soon. With the pictures, I apologize for using the word interesting. They're nothing juicy, but I just found them interesting personally. I'm going to post them in a separate post right below this one, as to avoid issues uploading from my phone.

I haven't heard any chatter about it...but I can't say anything further about it without giving away what it is exactly. With great knowledge comes great responsibility. And to the above posters.... LOL! A joke about SFSL announcing a ride will be turned around backwards?!?! You're so freakin' original idk how to even cope with the hilarity... So let's see: Six Flags announces a great new trap door body slide tower for 2013, which is a great investment. Then, SFSL also announced that Mr. Freeze will be turned around, which still gets way better ratings. SF changes an attraction that is a cool improvement according to most Guests, and they just get made fun of for it. I guess it's time to just stop trying to improve Guest experience. But honestly, come on...that's a dumb joke made a couple dozen times with multiple attractions. As much as I detest PETA, I'm about to call them for the poor horse you beat to death before continuing to beat it. Anyway, I got some interesting pictures on Friday, and I will hopefully get a chance to post them soon, as long as I don't have to point out any other ridiculousness.

Last I heard, all of the issues were cleared up now, but more importantly... WHAT?!?! You're keeping an open mind?!?! Can't you see that the park is so obviously just getting a Larson loop.

This is good. Same cycle, different year, something comes and something goes at SFSL. How do you go from hinting at an attraction they'll make the thread explode to hinting at a Larson loop? Well to be fair, if it is a good addition, the thread will explode, and if it is a bad addition, the thread will explode with criticism. However, I would like to thank parkjunkie for the good laugh. I needed that today.

Unfortunately I honestly don't know what their plan is in terms of clues. While I know what is coming, I don't know what their social media & marketing strategy is for the announcement.

I've been around long enough to know better Ugh okay....there has been a couple users speculating if I really know what is being added in 2016. The answer is yes. I know the big picture even though some details are a bit vague & sketchy. I guess I'll just save you all the time and give it away (or at least part of it) right now. We all know that SFSL has really gone big with the "Coaster Capital of Missouri" thing since 2013. With that being established, you can bet that the park will never have any less than nine coasters, because going backwards wouldn't reflect well on the coaster capital slogan, right? So if the park does get rid of the Ninja at some point, either a new coaster needs to be introduced either the following year or the year before. So if you're still following me, look at the park as a whole. Now once you've done that, consider this: What if corporate doesn't want to install a new coaster the year before or the year of Ninja's demise. Well, as you can imagine, that leaves the marketing department in a tough spot. But don't fear, as tough spots are the places in which marketing departments can shine the brightest. What does this mean for the park? (Don't worry, that question is rhetorical, as I'm about to tell you.) It means a brand spanking new slogan! One that not only matches but exceeds the Coaster Capital of Misery...err...Missouri. In 2016, Six Flags St. Louis will open a new (or refurbish an existing) store...*cough* Colossal Closeouts *cough*. This store will still sell souvenirs, but it will be a bit specialized. It will be home of the largest selection of drink coasters that feature different rides in the park. This will give birth to the new slogan... The Coaster Coaster Capital of Missouri! Prozach, may I suggest a possible switch to lexapro or zoloft? I'm not sure if the prozac is working too well for you. Love, Josh

The doors have all stayed open on every ride I've been on at the SFSTL location. That is why I questioned it. I've ridden ours 6 times on different days. I think that adds to the screens not seeming clear and bright like they were at SFoT. If that solves the issue then it would make it much more enjoyable. I swear that I never knew that Flash and Wonder Woman were in that fight scene on our version due to the washed out screens. Most of my rides the doors have opened and closed. On all of them the doors in the final scenes opened and closed (even though it's kinda hard to notice).

There are actually five left. Two in August and three in September. Also, sorry to kill your excitement but speedy isn't on his way from Texas. Finally, the JLBM in St. Louis has a Lex Luther hologram too, but it had been off a few times this season. Really, in terms of the props, SFSL & SFOT both have the same thing overall. It's just how well you can see them right now.

I thought he was talking about boomerang, but who knows (except HWfan of course). Well we all know that JLBM has been busy all year with Guests, but it's about to get busier in a different way. Texas' traffic jams are Missouri's gain.

I tried to look back through all of the past pages, so I apologize if this has already been mentioned: I think it is interesting how JLBM at SFOT couldn't run the full 10 vehicles so one was sent to SFSL to bring the number there up to 8. There has been some past debate on the shorter track SFOT vs. the longer track at SFSL, but I guess this is one reason why the longer track is better. The dock and area available for stacking (should someone in a wheelchair, like myself for example, need the vehicle to come to a stop to board) is SFSL's main/only real advantage.

i'm sorry...i have never actually tried it

Because it hasn't been mentioned recently, three refurbished train cars are now running. Also, this should be a great week for the park to begin working on a lot of things that can't be worked on during full time operation. One of these things has to do with a big present that was sent received from SFOT... On an unrelated note and in case anyone cares, I am happy to say that I have made the jump from Guest Relations to Human Resources. While I will miss a lot about the operations department, I will now be able to work full time through the off season and see a completely different side of the business. With that in mind, if anyone has any interest in working at the park (or knows someone who does), feel free to message me. There are currently positions in foods, rides, and park services, in addition to the Fright Fest entertainment. A smoking area was removed fairly recently to put in a new drink stand. With 1904 Hot Dogs being busy sometimes, this will help take care of those in line who just need a drink refill.

Seems like a simple task ... why should it take so long? If SF Corp denies things like this no wonder SFSTL is in the shape its in. First, it isn't that simple. It can't be done overnight, without causing downtime for the ride. Once the park gets to weekends only operation, a LOT will start happening. It'll be pretty impressive how much starts happening week-to-week, especially as we'll see lots of FF decorations pop up. Second, you really, really, really need to take everything posted about specific maintenance issues with a grain of salt. When JLBM first closed, SFZIP didn't know the details behind the closure, so he learned it later from second-hand sources. There's a reason he needs to stay anonymous, so when it comes to what he posts, you especially need to be cautious. A lot of the time, I see those posts actually leading to increased mis-information and incorrect speculation. Finally, I can say that the park's physical to-do list isn't 31 pages long, but it is very organized and thorough. Now don't get too worked up and stay happy!

I think that'd be the perfect place for a custom family coaster along the lines of Firechaser Express.

Hey Raven Maven, Don't you have to update your signature now that Thunderbird has launched? That steel count should be two!

Only have a second here and was only able to skim the posts above. Anyway... 1. Prozach, I understand your sentiment, but in 2009/2010, Six Flags was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was delisted from the NYSE. Today, Six Flags is at it's strongest point ever and doesn't show signs of slowing growth. That is exactly why the people saying that in 2010 may have been a little bit off (that's not to say that the park hasn't made lots of improvements since then). 2. Although you may have a hard time believing it, SFZIP knows his JLBM facts here. There are a lot of factors that make up the price of JLBM, but I can't go into specifics. Opening two of the rides did really make a big difference though.

Ah, I see that I'm not the only one who reads Screamscape... Also, Six Flags Over Mid-America is now Six Flags St. Louis. HWFAN - Not sure if you are in the "Know" or not, I do enjoy reading your posts and appreciate all the info you share on the board. I am very much on the side of Prozac. I have been going to this park for decades (Rode the S. Eagle in '76 (I was 9), Rode the Jet Scream in '80, Rail Blazer, Sky Chuter, Mo Mo the Monster, Tiltmore Hotel, even Super Sports ... etc etc. I am a huge Amusement Park Fan, been to a lot of them - Disney (both coasts), Knotts, Busch Gardens(both), Cedar Point, KI, and so on. Anyway, it Is frustrating see other parks evolve, upgrade, renew, refurbish, redo while our park gets stale with Hand-Me-Downs from other Parks or new rides which add no value (that teacup water ride, whatever it's called - getting new Bumper Cars would have been a better choice). I do think Justice League is a Huge win for our park, too bad is it plagued with issues this year. You have been boasting about the future of our Park and I hope you are right. Guess time will tell. I am a firm believer in 'If You Build It They Will Come'. SFSTL needs a Modern Steel coaster in the worst way and until that happens I will be going to other Parks around the region/country. Might plan on my first trip to KK next year. RMC Is Building So I Am Going. One thing that has bit me pretty hard is what I have learned over the last few years. When disappointing things happen, it's even more disappointing not being able to share what is going on that caused said issue. There's also a lot of "ohhh, that's what is going on; now it makes sense." However, I try to share with you all everything I can without giving away information that the park would like kept to themselves (which they have every right to). Some have mentioned that I seem to have posted "clues", but it's one of those things where you would look back after an announcement before you had any clue what I was or wasn't hinting at. My "boasting" of the park's future is hard to take stock in at the moment, because it is taking such a long time. The investment in renovation of the park's buildings/infrastructure has been really impressive this past year (although you didn't seem 80% of what was done), and the trend is set to continue to refresh the park. Without seeing much for yourself, it's hard to have a positive attitude. If you were to skip ahead and visit the park opening day of 2020, it would blow you away. Unfortunately that means next to nothing at this point. There is so much groundwork that has to be done first, but the future really is bright. I hope to see you in the park in the future, and I can't argue with your logic for visiting other parks right now. You should visit parks that offer what you enjoy (for a lot of people, that's SFSL, and for others, it's not).

Ah, I see that I'm not the only one who reads Screamscape... Also, Six Flags Over Mid-America is now Six Flags St. Louis.